Just days after the congressional baseball practice shooting, Brad Carver, the Republican Party chairman in Georgia's 11th congressional district, predicted that the attack would boost Republicans' chances of winning the upcoming special election in the Peach State.
"I'll tell you what: I think the shooting is going to win this election for us," Carver told The Washington Post on Saturday after a get-out-the vote rally for Republican candidate Karen Handel, who is running against Democrat Jon Ossoff in Georgia's 6th congressional district. The two are vying for the seat vacated by Tom Price, who left to become the Trump administration's health secretary.
The shooting last Wednesday left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), two Capitol Police officers, a congressional staffer, and a lobbyist injured; Scalise remains in critical condition.
Carver explained that he thinks the shooting will help Handel win because "moderates and independents" are "tired of left-wing extremism." "I get that there's extremists on both sides, but we are not seeing them," Carver said. "We're seeing absolute resistance to everything this president does. Moderates and independents out there want to give him a chance. Democrats have never given this president a chance."
Carver said he thinks "it'll be close," but that Republicans will "win it." "And I really do think the congressional baseball shooting is going to decide the election," he reiterated.
Voters head to the polls Tuesday.